Breast feeding may be as good for mom as it is for baby
Evidence shows that breast feeding provides protection to your baby's health through special antibodies that reduce his risk of developing ear infections, diarrhea, meningitis and overeating, which might later lead to obesity. A study published by the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals that breast feeding reduces the risk of premenopausal breast cancer by 60 percent in women with a family history of the disease.
Two Types of Breast Cancer
There are two types of breast cancer tumors: tumors caused by hormonal changes in the body, and tumors that are not related to hormones. Cancer caused by non-hormonal tumors is the hardest to treat. Breast feeding has been shown to reduce your chances of developing cancer, even if your tumors are the non-hormone fueled type.
Significant Drop in Cancer
According to www.cbc.ca, a Canadian study in breastfeeding revealed that, based on current breastfeeding patterns, 6 percent of women will develop breast cancer. When women continue nursing their babies for at least 16 months, the occurrence can drop to as low as 3 percent.
Women Who Take Drugs to Dry Up Milk
U.S. News and health reports an interesting finding. Women who took drugs to dry up their milk supply shortly after giving birth seemed to be as protected against cancer as breastfeeding women. When a woman's breasts become engorged with milk, the breast tissue becomes inflamed, which can trigger cancer cell growth. The drugs that help dry up the milk supply prevent the inflammation of the breast tissue.
Women Who Have Children Later in Life
More and more women choose to have children later in life. Dr. Giske Ursin MD, PhD associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine located at the University of Southern California stated that breastfeeding offers protection for all women, even those who decide to carry through a full-term pregnancy later in life. These findings were presented at the annual American Association for Cancer Research Meeting.
Women at High Risk for Developing Cancer
Women at high risk of developing breast cancer are sometimes prescribed cancer preventive drugs, such as the antiestrogen drug tamoxifen. According to U.S. News and Health, breastfeeding provided the same protection against breast cancer as the cancer preventing drugs. It did not make a difference how long they breastfed, or even how many children they nursed.
